Tyra Banks testifies at trial of accused stalker
TV host and ex-supermodel Tyra Banks faced her accused stalker in a New York court on Wednesday, saying she fears for her safety since the man allegedly threatened her assistant and contacted her show. Brady Green, 39, was arrested in March after prosecutors say he appeared twice at the Manhattan studio where “The Tyra Banks Show,” a daytime talk show, is filmed. Green is accused of repeatedly contacting the show, sending Banks flowers with the note “When I see you, I love you,” and threatening to slit the throat of her assistant. “I don’t fear, like, my life,” Banks, 35, told a judge at New York State Supreme Court. “I fear my safety … . I feel very vulnerable. I don’t know what could happen.” (Continue Reading…)

Chris Brown’s Lawyer to Attempt to Dismiss Assault Case
As the waiting game continues in the Rihanna assault case, the singer can now at least return the on-loan jewelry she was wearing the night she was allegedly beaten by Chris Brown. At the request of Brown’s lawyer, Mark Geragos, L.A. Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg granted a delay in the case, with the next hearing set for May 28. Brown, 19, who has pleaded not guilty, did not attend the hearing. He was not required to show. Geragos indicated at court Wednesday that he intends to file a motion to dismiss the case because of police leaks in the investigation, apparently a reference to Rihanna’s injury photo that surfaced on the Internet, among other details. (Continue Reading…)

U.S. swine flu cases grow to 91, including child who died
number of confirmed swine flu cases in the United States has risen to 91 and is spread across 10 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. One of those cases was fatal, but the majority are not severe, said Dr. Richard Besser, acting CDC chief. Five patients have been hospitalized, including the 22-month-old child who died Monday in Texas, he said. The toddler was a Mexican citizen who had gone to Houston, Texas, for treatment, said Kathy Barton, a spokeswoman for the Houston Department of Health and Human Services. (Continue Reading…)

The clown in the girl is bumptious as can be: bouncing about in the peaked cap and oversized coat of a boy she hasn’t learned to love yet, pacing in lockstep behind a fellow-lodger for the sheer love of badgering him, blowing out her cheeks like a fussed walrus when crossed.
— Walter Kerr, Anne Frank Shouldn’t Be Anne’s Play, New York Times, January 7, 1979